Day 6: Expect the Unexpected

It’s very hard to pick a favorite day here. Every day has been packed with precious moments we will treasure for the rest of our lives. I can confidently say, though, that today was definitely in my top two!  Today was fabric & beach day – need I say more?!?  After enjoying yet another mouth-watering breakfast of French toast and fresh, juicy mango with pineapple, we were ready to drive to town and pick out the fabric for our dresses. Joe Fox, our very own tailor and designer, took time out of his busy schedule and came with us to offer his expertise. He and our driver, Wisdom, had to deal with 12 giddy, chatty, and excited girls all the way to Accra! Each drive around town is filled with emotion: we laugh, we’re scared, we’re concerned for what we see, then we’re just plain confused and we love it all because we get another quick glimpse into the culture of these beautiful people.

Choosing fabric for our own dress is an experience none of us have ever had. Creative juices were flowing and many of us were torn between colors and patterns – all of which were stunning! It took a couple hours, but all of us left Accra completely satisfied with our selections.

For lunch, the cooks surprised us with another marvelous meal – Irish stew! Getting ready for the beach took no time at all and soon we were on our way. The moment we stepped onto the sand, enthusiastic merchants flocked to us, offering the best of what they had, including bracelets, souvenirs, manicures, horse rides… We politely said no, lingered on the beach long enough to take just a few quick snaps and rushed into the ocean, eager to jump into the big crashing waves.

I planned for a day of fun and games, but I am so glad that God’s plans are not our plans and what He has in mind is always so much better! I got the fun, the games, the shells, and so much more - I got a glimpse of God’s heart.

As a group of us were strolling along the beach picking shells and rocks, I noticed a teenage boy had joined our group. He had a huge smile on his face, was charismatic and eager to meet and talk to us. I introduced myself and as we began talking, I realized this cheerful boy had an extremely difficult life. I found out that John lives on the beach and has no family of his own. His mom died when he was twelve and since his mom and dad were separated, he was not able to find his father after her death. He moved from Nigeria to Ghana and has been living on his own since then. He told me he knew Jesus and attended a church when he lived in Nigeria. He hasn’t attended church since he’s been in Ghana. I offered him the only thing I had to offer: prayer. He accepted and Abby and I beseeched God on his behalf. After the prayer, I talked to him about Jesus’ love for him and reminded him that Jesus will never leave him. I felt the loneliness this boy felt as well as the tremendous love Jesus had for him. God was reaching out to this young man, wanting to pull him closer to Himself. That moment on the beach was the definition of a divine encounter. All throughout the Bible God uses unusual circumstances to reach individuals, so why wouldn’t He use a few white girls thousands of miles away from home on a Ghanaian beach collecting rocks?!?! There is no limit to His love, to His creativity, and to His abounding grace. While I had waves and sand castles on my mind, God had John on His.    

Lina Potafiy

Day 5; At the Hospital

         The day finally came, and it came early!  I think most of us were awake by 6am; we were so excited!  However, the early rising turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  The white nursing hats, which look so wonderful in pictures and movies, are actually nightmares to figure out how to wear!  We were all trying to help each other out, but since all of us were more or less clueless on how to wear them, Dr. Catts and Ms. Poore had to show us how it was done.

            Finally everyone’s caps were straight, supplies were gathered, and we began our walk over to the hospital.  We had been spread out in the hospital throughout the various units.  When we got there, however, we all gathered along with the hospital staff for their daily devotions.  I can hardly describe this part of the day.  I can only say that I did not want it to end, and it was simply beautiful.  It was very pure and simple; they would sing and then pray.  It was strait from the heart, and it went straight to Jesus. I am already looking forward to the next time we can worship with them. 

            From there, everyone’s experience of the hospital became different.  Chelsea and I were assigned to be with the midwife.  We were able to help with the delivery of two babies.  One of the deliveries was very emotionally and physically difficult for the mother.  We were able to be with her throughout the entire process.  We prayed with her, held her had, helped her with her breathing, and were able to comfort and encourage her the whole time.  At one point, the midwife told her that it was going to be okay…God had sent her two angels in white to help her.

            In the women’s ward, Vanessa was able to connect with one of her patients.  The woman was struggling after she had her second miscarriage.  Vanessa was able to pray with her, and bless her to have children.  Both her and her husband were so appreciative, just like everyone here is when you offer them prayer.   In the pediatric unit Caren, Lina, Kayla, and Jennifer were able to brighten the children’s day.  In addition to helping the nurses with the medical responsibilities, they were able to play games with them.  One story that stuck out was that of a particular little girl.  At the beginning of the day no one could make her smile, but by the time we left a smile was radiating from her face.  The girls were able to invest their time into her, and show the love of Jesus to not only her, but also all the children on the unit.  None of them wanted to leave at the end of the day.

            Back at the house that evening everyone shared their experiences, and similar stories were heard from everyone.  Jennifer was administering shots, and the vial of medication she was drawing from lasted WAY longer than it should have.  Kaytlyn was left alone for a while in the medical records area.  (If you have never seen medical records in Ghana you will not really understand how overwhelming it can be).  She handled it like a pro though, and “just happened to find” the exact chart she needed on top of a random stack of charts.  Every person could tell similar stories to these.

            In devotions we talked about having a Christ-centered vision.  We do not want to miss opportunities to influence people’s lives with whom we come into contact.  Who is the person that God is calling you to make a difference in their life?  Our time here is so short, and we do not want to miss anything that God had called us to do.  We ended the evening by singing “Be Thou My Vision”.  It was the perfect  end to a wonderful day.

Abby Randall

Day 4: Here By Design

After having our fill of a wonderful breakfast of eggs, French toast and mango, we walked over to attend the first morning service at church.

The theme for Manna Mission Church this year is “Maximum Momentum;” and Sunday’s message was on reaching your maximum potential in Christ. After the message, we were introduced in front of the church. We each introduced ourselves and it was an opportunity to greet the church, thank them for being so welcoming, and to give a brief testimony of how God’s provision allowed for each one of us to come and serve the people of Ghana.

After the service, we all attended Sunday school. Half of our group went to the English adult class, and the others went to the English high school class. Jennifer and Chelsea were asked to speak to the teenagers about how to believe for God’s answers. As we had the opportunity to sit in with our precious brothers and sisters in Christ, we were all so impressed and touched by their dedication, love and passion for God and His word. In the adult class I sat in, our teacher was named Lativ.  As Lativ spoke on missions and the importance of going and being obedient to the Lord, his humility and love for God was humbling. He taught that although not every one of us is called to be missionaries, every Christian has been mandated to go evangelize those around us. It begins with living a godly, Christ-like life to the hardest group of all: our families. He also stressed the importance of discipleship and helping to develop and pour into the lives of others.

Today, Albert, our I.T. expert came to connect us to the hospital’s wi-fi. We were able to get on the network and reconnect with families.

 An exciting and memorable event today was when Joe Fox came and took our measurements for the dresses he will tailor himself. We are all excited and cannot wait to go shopping for our fabric and go to the beach on Tuesday.

As a team, we have all connected and enjoyed such laughter and joy. It has been so beautiful to see each other’s hearts, spiritual gifts and personalities. The amount of time of fellowship that we have to pray, learn from one another has been an honor. Having devotions as a group has been a time to pray, meditate on bible verses and for reflection. I would like to say thank you for every single person who gave towards the trip: to the people at grocery stores who donated for baked goods, to the family and friends who donated. Thank you to all the anonymous people, and those who worked so hard and gave us clothing items, supplies and those who are encircling us with prayers. Thank you. God is doing amazing things in each of us, and every single person we speak, pray and serve. 

Vanessa Davila

Day 3: Singin' in the Rain

           Today started out as just a day to relax, unpack, and recover from our jetlag, and the morning started out in just that way.  We unpacked our team luggage, and sorted through all of the medicine, baby supplies, and girls home items for Kumasi.  All of the furniture in our living room was piled high with these donated items, and it was amazing how much we had been able to bring in our suitcases. 

            We were relaxing around the house after we had finished unpacking and sorting everything when we received a call telling us that the doctor was in, and we could go and watch him perform surgeries.  I do not think I have ever seen the girls on the team move so quickly!  We all flew upstairs and changed into our blue scrubs.  It was a whirlwind of activity in the room as we all rummaged through our luggage trying to find what we needed.  Finally everyone was set, and we all walked down the road to the hospital.  When we arrived, the doctor was preparing to perform a surgery on a two-week-old baby.  Everyone was able to go into the room and observe.  That was the only surgery scheduled for the day, so when it was over we decided to do some exploring.  Ms. Poore first showed us the rest of the areas of the hospital where we had not been yet.  Then we went outside and she showed us the church, school, and future nursing school building.

            When we came back from our walk, Lina and I went to the back of the house to sit and enjoy the cool breeze.  We were sitting there talking when all of a sudden a mango fell from the tree next to us.  We ran over, grabbed it, and enjoyed a fresh mango right there on the back porch; an experience you can only have in Ghana!

            We had been watching storm clouds gather while we were sitting outside, and finally the rain came!  Everyone came piling out of the house, and just stood outside enjoying the cool rain.  As the rain became stronger, someone commented that it was stronger than the shower pressure water.  From that comment we all decided that it would be a wonderful idea to wash our hair outside in the rain.  Ms. Poore brought out the shampoo and conditioner, and right there in the front yard we all (including Dr. Catts) washed our hair.  I think our Ghana friends thought that we had either never seen rain before or were crazy, but it was a very refreshing and fun time!

            That evening everyone felt very refreshed and cooled down, so we had some team bonding with a game of catch phrase.  (I think we all found out who the competitive people in the group are).  We rounded out the evening in the living room.  It was complete with team devotions, sewing lessons from Dr. Catts teaching us how to hem skirts for the girl’s home in Kumasi, and looking through people’s pictures.  We also had our first real Ghanaian food of the trip.  My Mom has always told me that every country has their own style of pancakes.  Well Mom, I have now tried Ghanaian pancakes, and they are delicious! 

Abby Randall

            

Day 2: Made to Ghana!

We arrived in Accra today as scheduled. Immediately as the cabin doors were opened, we felt the heat and humidity… definitely a stark contrast to Tulsa and New York. The dirt is a burnt orange-red, and as Ms. Poore and Dr. Catts have told us all along, Africa has a distinct smell. The smell is wonderful and indescribable. We went through customs first and that was quite the experience. Our passports were verified and our pictures and fingerprints were taken. Once we got all 24 suitcases (and they weren’t searched!) we were greeted by Pastor David and Wisdom from Manna Mission. 

From the airport, we went to the Manna Mission Compound, which contains the hospital, the pharmacy, school academy, soon to be nursing school and the home we’ll be staying at. Along the way we saw street vendors, and people walking along the streets moving in and out of traffic. We met Dr. Ablohr, his staff and the Head Nurse Matron.

 Everyone is so kind and welcoming. We toured the hospital and got settled in the home. Dr. Ablohr and Mrs. Ablohr were kind to invite us over to their beautiful home. We were finally able to try the amazing and fresh fruit of Ghana. We had pineapple, mango and watermelon. 

Our sweet cook and housekeeper (Grace & Dinah) made us a delicious dinner of fried chicken, rice and vegetables. The home is so great and comfortable. There are 8 of us in bunk beds in a large room and 4 downstairs. We are so grateful and blessed to have A.C. in our bedrooms. Naturally, we couldn’t wait to take showers and get refreshed. There are 3 female residents from the University of Virginia who will be staying with us. We haven’t had the opportunity to meet them however because they are away on a trip. We’ve had a great first day here: very eventual, fun and with lots of laughs and pictures. We had devotions in the evening and covered Deuteronomy 31:5-8, and talked about trusting God in all times, having courage and faith in stepping out knowing God is our strength. We fell asleep to the singing of a nearby all night prayer meeting. 

Posted by Vanessa Davila

Day 1: Africa Bound

            Well, the day had finally arrived!  It started out with a 4:15am arrival to the airport.  Some of us arrived well rested, and others only having an hour or two of sleep the night before.  The bags were all checked, and all were within in the 50lbs limit, except Miss Poore’s bag that weighed 70lbs! Miraculously though, the man checking our luggage did not say anything about it being over-weight, and let it go through without an extra charge.  So, we headed for the plane!

            From Tulsa we flew to Atlanta.  We had about a 3-hour layover there before heading to the JFK International Airport in NYC.  At this airport we had a 6-hour layover.  We were able to find a nice food court area with a beautiful view of the planes taking off and landing on the runway, and the ocean right behind it.  While we waited for our plane everyone was able to find something to eat, and we enjoyed some delicious cup cakes that Dr. Catt’s had brought along as a surprise for us.  We passed the rest of the time watching the airplanes take off and land, playing cards, exploring the shops at the airport, and talking.

            Finally, it was time to board our final plane, and head for Accra Ghana!  We boarded at 9:05pm, and were soon up in the air and headed for our destination.  I learned several things on that 10-hour flight to Ghana that I had not known before.

1. You get to know your airplane neighbors VERY well on long overnight flights.
2. On an airplane, strong smells can become even stronger!
3. They are continually bringing you food and drinks throughout the flight.
4. And you should always pray for quiet and happy babies that sleep through the whole night without crying. (We forgot that part!)

      Altogether, we had 26 hours of travel time.  However, when we landed in Accra everyone was wide-awake, and ready to being our adventure in Ghana!

Abby Randall